Tutorial 4: Minggu 5 Soalan: Bincang secara kritis dari sudut personaliti guru berdasarkan klip video Teacher Make

A Difference oleh Stoddard

Teacher Make A Difference Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children. His clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...He is a joy to be around." His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home is a struggle." His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class." By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs.Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter-full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mother used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets." A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD. The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference." Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Jawapan: Personaliti guru memainkan peranan kerana ianya mempengaruhi pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Personaliti guru sering menjadi perhatian murid-murid. Guru yang mempunyai sifat sabar yang tinggi, mesra, bertimbang rasa, kesediaan mendengar, kesediaan menerima kritikan, rajin, adil, periang dan berdedikasi akan mencerminkan personaliti diri seseorang guru itu untuk menjadi pendidik yang sejati. Guru juga perlu mempunyai sifat yang kreatif dan inovatif bagi membolehkan guru mencapai prestasi yang tinggi. Sifat kreatif dan inovatif yang ada pada guru itu, akan mewujudkan pengajaran guru yang lebih menyeronokkan, diminati dan meninggalkan kesan kepada murid dan secara tidak langsung mempengaruhi murid untuk terus belajar. Individu yang bergelar guru perlu sentiasa melakukan refleksi dan kritik-kendiri, fleksibel dalam pendekatan-pendekatan pengajaran dan pembelajaran dan perlu mempunyai semangat untuk mengajar murid. Personaliti guru sering menjadi penilaian yang dibuat bersama oleh anggota masyarakat khasnya pelajar dan ibubapa. Berdasarkan cerita ini, beberapa personaliti guru telah dapat dikenal pasti. Antaranya ialah: 1. Bertanggungjawab Keberkesanan dalam usaha mengajar dan mendidik murid mungkin mempunyai pengertian yang berbeza di kalangan para guru. Ini adalah bergantung kepada kefahaman dan penekanan mereka mengenai konsep berkenaan. Ada guru yang mengutamakan penguasaan pelajar mengenai isi pengajaran dan pembelajaran manakala ada juga guru yang berpendapat pengajaran yang berkesan membawa maksud kemajuan dalam pertumbuhan dan perkembangan sosial pelajar yang dinilai dari sudut, sama ada murid tersebut telah mencapai sikap yang positif mengenai diri sendiri dan orang lain. Kemungkinan bagi kebanyakan guru berpendapat bahawa pengajaran yang berkesan adalah satu imbangan yang sempurna di antara kemajuan pemikiran dan perasaan; dan di antara penekanan kepada isi mata pelajaran dan pelajar. Mrs. Thompson telah memberikan semangat kepada Teddy Stoddard untuk belajar bersungguh-sungguh.

2. Bersifat empati Empati, iaitu kebolehan guru membayangkan dan menghayati emosi dan perasaan muridnya.Guru yang menguasai kemahiran ini akan dapat melahirkan suasana harmoni dalam komunikasi sosial. Ini kerana guru tersebut dapat menggambarkan apa yang akan menjadi keperluan atau keinginan muridnya. Ini merupakan empati yang mencerminkan prinsip bertimbang rasa, memikirkan kebajikan dan kebahagian orang lain sebelum dirinya. Guru yang mempunyai sifat ini biasanya berupaya membaca emosi muridnya, sering menumpu perhatian mendengar, prihatin dan memahami perasaan dan keperluan muridnya. Oleh itu, boleh dibuat kesimpulan, guru yang memiliki sifat empati adalah seorang guru yang begitu prihatan terhadap muridnya. Guru itu juga seorang pendengar yang baik dan mampu memahami muridnya. Mrs. Thompson memahami perasaan Teddy Stoddard yang telah kehilangan ibunya, beliau merasakan bahawa dirinya bertanggungjawab untuk membantu muridnya itu. 3. Ramah mesra Ramah mesra merupakan satu kualiti yang perlu ada untuk mendapat kerjasama orang lain. Sifat ini juga akan mendorong murid-murid suka berdamping rapat dengan guru itu. Kemesraan yang ditunjukkan oleh Mrs, Thompson kepada Teddy Stoddard telah membuatkan muridnya itu merasa selesa apabila mereka bersama. Sifat mesra Mrs. Thompson itu telah membuatkan Teddy Stoddard mengingatinya kehidupannya. 4. Semangat berbakti Sesorang guru yang mempunyai semangat berbakti akan sentiasa disanjungi oleh orang lain. Sifat ini pula merupakan salah satu kualiti sosial yang murni bagi seseorang guru. Mrs. Thompson perlu berbakti kepada Teddy Stoddard kerana anak muridnya itu memerlukan bimbingan dan tunjuk ajar daripada beliau. sehingga dia meningkat dewasa dan berjaya dalam